NY - First Responders NOT welcome at Ground Zero???

[HRCODEPINK]

This is a very sensitive issue. I've treid to stay out of it, but I am somewhat personally involved and just cannot keep quiet any longer. I think the problem is that most people, removed from the actual events at the WTC as most if not all of you are, view the ceremony as a memorial of what happened to the country on 9/11.

This is not what is scheduled, and not what is the wish of the families of those killed at the WTC.

This is their first, and only, time to honor their lost ones at the site dedicated to their memory, and for many of the families, this is the ONLY place at which their loved one is to be memorialized. The haven't remains to bury, this is their loved one's gravesite and final resting place.

This is about the people who died and a Memorial to them. It is not a memorial to all of our glorification of how we were affected, or who was a hero and who was mayor. It is about and for those that died.

Most of what has been done, built, designed, planned, decided, erected, etc etc has been decided by a foundation made up of family members of the deceased. (that does include family members of first responders who died.) This was not Bloomberg's decision, it was not the decision of a politician, it was not anything other than what the FAMILIES chose to honor their DEAD relatives.

I'm so tired of all the drama. These people deserve to have their memorial. It does not belong to me, or to you, or to the country. It is theirs and I, for one, think trying to dictate what should happen on their memorial is DISRESPECTFUL.

This is a very good post. I'm not talking about some sort of razzle dazzle show where the first responders are singled out at some point to be honored about any of the other dead or anything like that. I am also not talking about people who moved to NY last year and became a fireman and he was the first of his family to get that far east. But I do believe the sick should be included. And one thing that I don't know if everyone understands is that these people are all the same families. And they have always, pretty much been those same families. Big families who have always done this and only this. My kid's grandmother is one of 11 kids! All of my children's dad's cousins are all firemen and police (of the four that aren't 3 are in the military and one of his uncles is Secret Service), their fathers, his uncles, were firemen and police, their father, his grandfather was a police officer, his father, Steve's great-grandfather was a police officer and before that they were in Ireland. The only reason we are here is because this is where my family is and he has narcolepsy, so he can't be a police officer or a fireman or we would be up there with them. It is a tremendous number of people since they all came from so many areas, but if just keeping out those that weren't there, it is still a large number of people. As I noted on the page before, the first responders who died made up a little more than 16% of the total number of people who died that day. many stayed behind being promised they were safe while they were really basically losing their lives standing there. The first responders who are sick feel snubbed and that shouldn't be the case ever, but it is an awful lot.

 

[elmomom]

I have three friends, all of whom are on permanent disability from working the hole for days and weeks. And none of them are complaining. In fact, they never even thought about going or being invited. It seems to me that the people who really know the situation are ok with the choices made, and that the people complaining are the outsiders.
Someone asked who paid for the memorial. Well I did - partly anyhow. I donated, and you can donate too http://www.911memorial.org/donations
Most of the cost is shared between the 911 foundation, the Port Authority of NY and NJ, as well as some NY and NJ state funding.

 

[Jack]

Perhaps this is an unpopular view but I don't understand what the big deal is. I see nothing wrong with the tenth anniversary being about the victims and their families, regardless of the victim's chosen profession.

 

[hockeymom]

Perhaps this is an unpopular view but I don't understand what the big deal is. I see nothing wrong with the tenth anniversary being about the victims and their families, regardless of the victim's chosen profession.

I don't see it as an issue either, except its about politicians too. So why are there so many of them in attendence?

 

[hockeymom]

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/shocking_insult_to_kin_D4rEoXB7Z2ozU4OMtTh5eO

Seems like the families haven't even gotten their invites yet!! You can bet every politician has!!!

 

[legalmania]

I think the first responders and all citizens who were there that day and lost love ones or were in or around those buildings, should all avoid ground zero altogether and go to Central Park or organize something someplace else. I think they should protest the politicians who go. I know it's short notice but this should be to celebrate the lives of those who survived that September day and to memorialize those who lost their lives that day or the friends and family of the people who were lost or survived that day. Nobody should show up at the site and let the politicians stay there by themselves. I think the people should send a message.

 

[legalmania]

I think the first responders and all citizens who were there that 11th day of September 2001 and the people who lost love ones or were in or around those buildings, should all avoid ground zero altogether and go to Central Park or organize something someplace else. I think they should protest the politicians who go. I know it's short notice but this should be to celebrate the lives of those who survived that September day and to memorialize those who lost their lives that day or the friends and family of the people who were lost or survived that day. Nobody should show up at the site and let the politicians stay there by themselves. I think the people should send a message.

 

[Velouria]

I have three friends, all of whom are on permanent disability from working the hole for days and weeks. And none of them are complaining. In fact, they never even thought about going or being invited. It seems to me that the people who really know the situation are ok with the choices made, and that the people complaining are the outsiders.
Someone asked who paid for the memorial. Well I did - partly anyhow. I donated, and you can donate too http://www.911memorial.org/donations
Most of the cost is shared between the 911 foundation, the Port Authority of NY and NJ, as well as some NY and NJ state funding.

Thank you, elmomom. I'm the one who asked about funding. Frankly, I'm disappointed that public monies are being spent when the first responders have been specifically DISinvited, but I realize YMMV. I also realize that some responders may have no desire to attend the ceremony. As someone who's never attended a single one of her high school reunions, I'd probably fall into this category myself.

However, the blogs and articles I've googled on this subject feature comments by many responders who are upset and insulted by this decision.

I have made a donation to this organization instead:

FealGood Foundation - No Responders Left Behind
http://www.fealgoodfoundation.com/

 

[DollyPardonMe]

I was appalled when I read this!! Bloomberg only wants his political buddies there. No room for the hero’s who risk life and limb and did all the work!! They weren't invited to this memorial and they weren't invited to the last 9 either. After 10 years they are still suffering with health and PTST problems and they can't even go to a memorial to be recognized as hero's!

Well, here is a tribute from me to these BRAVE Hero's! ENJOY!


[video=youtube;O2Xo34g_SqQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2Xo34g_SqQ[/video]

 

[annmarie62]

...been watching every single 9/11 program on lately, from History Channel to NatGeo to CNN, etc... It is SO heartbreaking to know that MANY of the victims of 9/11 did not have to die. For example, NYC was too cheap to coordinate/synchronize fire dept. radios and police radios. According to many reports, the police were trying to tell the firefighters in the 2nd tower to "GET OUT NOW!!" way before the fire dept. made the same decision; the police were (mostly) on the street and could better see that the 2nd tower was going to come down- but because the PD/FD radios were "separate," the PD's warnings fell on deaf ears. Also, the 911 operators that day calmed/consoled many, many people trapped above the flames by telling them to "STAY PUT! THE FIREFIGHTERS ARE ON THE WAY!"; they were simply following their training and were subsequently devastated to find out, after the fact, that there actually WAS one stairway open at the top of the first tower, stairway "A"- many COULD have had a chance at getting out. The fire dept. knew this, I believe, but due to the panic and the lack of 'bundled' communications, they were unable to pass this info along to the 911 operators. No one can 'blame' any dept. for assuming the towers wouldn't fall- until it happened, NO ONE thought this would or could happen. Even Osama Bin Ladin, according to one of his top men (he has since been "rehabbed" by the Saudi gov't and has given interviews), was absolutely shocked- and, no doubt, delighted- when he learned the towers had fallen. So the poster above who chose to denigrate the firefighters just "milling around" at the towers' base should, imo, keep his Sunday-morning quarterbacking to himself. Instead of finding snarky fault with those who were bravely doing their jobs, this entire tragedy should be solely laid at the feet of our government at the time. The CIA warned that the U.S. was being targeted by Al Queda OVER AND OVER, to no avail. In fact, just hours after the first two planes hit and the identities of the hijackers were exposed; upon seeing the names, there was no need for research, as everyone at the CIA KNEW EXACTLY who these men were. Speaking of hindsight... we as Americans also have to admit that almost all of us were uninterested in national security; I don't recall citizens demanding any type of accounting of counter-terrorism plans/strategies before 9/11. We had been protected (so we thought) by our oceans for decades; right after the attacks, the only plans the military had "on ready" were all based on COLD WAR defense, i.e., on attacks coming across the oceans, NOT on attacks from within. America certainly lost her innocence that day. I believe much of the civilized world saw us as smug and arrogant, and yet, when this happened, most countries that could have said "Well NOW you Yanks know how it feels to be bombed" (England/France/Germany, etc...) instead mourned right along with us. Our country is, in a sense, the "little brother" of the free world. Most of us know how little brothers can be- annoying, bratty, naive- and many of us grew up teasing/harrassing our little brothers mercilessly within our families. HOWEVER!! IF anyone OUTSIDE the family bullied our little brother, then we closed ranks and protected our own. We may have told him he learned his lesson when he mouthed off and got his butt beat, but in reality his tears just break our hearts and we want to kill anyone who hurts him.

 

[hockeymom]

Annmarie,thank you for that post. I understand not every 1st responder or clergy could be invited. It wouldn't work legistically,but Bill O'Reilly had a great solution. There could have been a representative from NYPD,the Port Authority and the FDNY. They could have been chosen by a lottery system. As for clergy,no reason why a representative of each major religion could have been present,just like when they had a sevice immediatly folowing 9/11.
Unfortunatly when people try so hard not to offend one group,they end up offending every group. I'm so tiredof being politically correct.

 

[noZme]

 

[Tuffy]

I find it interesting that the families of the victims do not want the first-responders there for the memorial. Yet 343 first-responders showed up that day to try to rescue their loved ones. While I understand the grief of losing a loved one, I don't understand the purposeful exclusion of the first-responders. Especially, in light of large numbers of politicians being welcomed. :waitasec:

 

[Sooner Fan#1]

[video=youtube;Q65KZIqay4E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q65KZIqay4E[/video]